Press release:

With a main agenda focus on Worldbuilding, Mythmoot III, the Mythgard Institute’s fantasy/science fiction academic/fan conference, is hosting Senior Worldbuilder Chris Pierson of The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), a popular massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMO) that aligns with the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Chris hails from Canada and now lives in Boston with his wife Rebekah and two children. His tenure at Turbine goes back to the beginning of LOTRO, and he has many stories and insights to share about the challenges, joys and frustrations of aligning the game as accurately as possible with Tolkien’s legendarium. The conference agenda includes a presentation by Chris on Saturday as well as a question and answer session on Sunday. Whether you are a LOTRO aficionado or not, his stories about creating Tolkien’s world will be one of the most interesting parts of Mythmoot – guaranteed!

Spotlighting Chris at Mythmoot reflects the interest that Corey Olsen, founder and president of Mythgard, has taken in the online game. “I met Chris when he presented at the Mythcon conference last summer,” Olsen said, “and I was both impressed and intrigued by what he shared about his experience and is knowledge of Tolkien. Bringing Middle-earth to a new medium is fascinating,, and I was curious to experience for myself. Not long after we met, I joined the worldwide LOTRO community and have been adventuring in LOTRO’s Middle-earth since then.”

Olsen is currently in the process of “researching” the game in preparation for a course he will offer later in 2015 as part of the free Mythgard Academy courses.

Mythmoot takes place January 10 and 11 in Baltimore, Maryland and seats are still available.

Author: Oloriel
From time out of mind, Oloriel has been typing away in her little apartment, cats at her feet, hoping to reach out to other fantasy lovers by way of folkandfairy.com. Her discovery of Tolkien as a young adult awakened her long-dormant love of the otherworldly, and now she sees magic everywhere.
Oloriel has a degree in writing, which she put to work during a three-year stint in vanity publishing – an experience not unlike purgatory and very much like having to read 20 bad books each week – which she prefers not to talk about. To renew herself, she knits, naps, reads, prays, writes, walks in the woods, and eats too many cookies.